Haven Denney

Haven Denney (born October 28, 1995) is an American pair skater. With partner Brandon Frazier, she is a two-time Skate America silver medalist (2014, 2016), the 2014 CS Lombardia Trophy champion, the 2013 World Junior champion, and the 2017 U.S. national champion.

Haven Denney was born in Ocala, Florida. She competed as a roller skater until 2004 and won the 2003 U.S. pairs roller skating silver medal. Her sister, Caydee Denney, is also a competitive pair skater.

Early years

Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier first teamed up in 2002 as roller skaters before switching to the ice. As figure skaters, they competed together for three seasons from 2005 to 2008, coached by Jim Peterson and Lyndon Johnston. After two seasons on the juvenile level, the pair moved up a level and won the 2008 U.S. intermediate bronze medal. With their families living in different states, the skaters decided to part ways.

Denney then competed with Daniel Raad for three seasons.

2011–12 season: Junior Grand Prix debut

Denney/Frazier teamed up again in spring 2011. They competed on the 2011–12 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, placing 8th and 7th in Latvia and Austria. They won the junior title at the 2012 U.S. Championships and were assigned to the 2012 World Junior Championships where they placed 4th. The pair was coached by Dalilah Sappenfield in Colorado Springs, Colorado until the fall of 2012 when they moved to Coral Springs, Florida to train with John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana at Coral Gables.

2012–13 season: World Junior title

In the 2012–13 season, Denney/Frazier finished 4th at the 2012–13 ISU Junior Grand Prix event held in Lake Placid, New York. They won gold at the 2013 World Junior Championships, the first American pair to win the title since 2007.

2013–14 season: Grand Prix debut

For the 2013–14 season, the team placed fifth at both their Grand Prix events, the 2013 Skate Canada International and 2013 NHK Trophy. They were also fifth at the 2014 U.S. Championships and then fourth at the 2014 U.S. Championships.

2014–15 season: First senior medals

In 2014–15, Denney/Frazier won medals at two Challenger Series events – gold at the 2014 CS Lombardia Trophy and silver at the 2014 CS Skate Canada Autumn Classic. Turning to the Grand Prix series, they won their first GP medal, silver, at the 2014 Skate America and then finished fourth at the 2014 Rostelecom Cup. In the second half of the season, Denney/Frazier won the silver medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships. After nationals, they began training full-time under Ingo Steuer. They finished 7th at the 2015 Four Continents and 12th at the 2015 World Championships.

In April 2015, Denney/Frazier changed their training location from Coral Springs, Florida, to West Palm Beach, Florida. Soon after, on April 22, Denney sustained a knee injury while practicing a throw double flip off the ice. She said, "When I landed, my foot stayed and my body kept rotating" and she then heard "a couple of loud pops". Having torn the anterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, and bilateral and lateral meniscus in her right knee, she underwent surgery on April 28 at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.

2015–16 season

Denney put no weight on her right leg for six weeks and then began physical therapy before returning to the ice in October 2015. During this time, Frazier worked on his skating skills under Marina Zueva and her team in Canton, Michigan. In October, the pair started training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Initially limited to basic stroking and crossovers, Denney began cautiously practicing jumps in late November.

Denney/Frazier did not compete in the 2015–16 season. By April 2016, they were training with Rockne Brubaker and Stefania Berton at the Fox Valley Ice Center in Geneva, Illinois.

2016–17 season

Denney/Frazier received invitations to two Grand Prix events, the 2016 Skate America and 2016 Skate Canada International.

(with Frazier)

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Frazier

With Raad